Does the Rumble need a new stipulation?

[HeenanGorilla]

I have always enjoyed the Royal Rumble. I remember looking for something to watch and how happy I was when I stumbled upon the last few entrants of the inaugural Rumble on USA Network in '88. That was followed by a 30-man Rumble where Ax and Smash drew 1 and 2 and needed to fight it out in this "every man for himself" battle. Shortly after came Flair's title win in '92, with arguably the greatest Rumble roster of all time. After that, the winner was awarded a shot at the title at WrestleMania.

From the original Rumble to the time my interest in wrestling started to fade in the early-mid 90s, through the years I got back into it during the Monday Night Wars and the fading interest that returned after 2003 or so, up to today, I have almost always watched the Rumble. I always enjoyed battle royals growing up and the unique format of the Rumble was interesting to me for a long time. There were many years where I knew who was going to win, but still enjoyed it for different reasons. Triple H was going to win in 2002, but Maven eliminating Taker (and that subsequent beating) and Mr. Perfect's return were cool moments. Then there were years where you knew MAYBE 4 out of the 30 participants had a chance to win, but there were still fun moments. The Warrior/Hogan standoff in 1990, Too Cool's dance during the 2000 Rumble, the way Punk was used during the 40-man Rumble, various surprise entrants and returns. Each time the clock ticked toward zero, there was a feeling of "maybe this will be a good moment" even when the winner was so predictable. Sometimes you got a dud entrant, but sometimes something like the Honky Tonk Man's music hitting, only to be nailed with a guitar by Kane, was enough to entertain me.

But, lately, those moments have gone away and it has been more of a formality to get to the very few possible winners. Like I said, there have always only been a few possible winners, but it seemed to have been handled better in the past. And not just the long ago past where I believed in kayfabe and didn't know as much as I do now. I am talking about a more recent time, where WWE seems to have a "we know what's happening, they know what's happening, just go out and do it" approach. Now, I hope I am wrong and that kids today are enjoying it as much as I did back then. If that is the case, great! But, it seems to need a refresh, in my opinion.

What is a stipulation that could open the door to more possibilities with both how the match is run and who the winner may be? I don't necessarily need each and every participant to have a legit shot at being the winner. There will probably always be "3...2...1...HONK <Enter guy with lukewarm reaction and no chance of winning>". And that's ok. 30 is a lot of people. But certainly we can get maybe half of the entrants to be reasonable contenders, can't we?

I would usually get the ball rolling with an idea of my own, but I don't have one. I am hoping to hear some good ones. To be honest, I think the entering women in the same Rumble as the men idea, that I have seen here a few times, is preposterous. If you want a women's Rumble, go for it. Throw in some past Divas and some high spots, along with these legit women athletes, and I can find entertainment in that. But, for the main Rumble, what can be done to spice things up? I think the title match stipulation needs to be replaced...but by what?

 

[Dagger Dias]

I don't think that the Royal Rumble really needs a new stipulation. As the saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". The format has worked very well for so many years now. Now that there are two World Championships again they would not be able to do the Rumble for the World Heavyweight Championship since there is also a Universal Champion out there. The winner should be able to declare his choice of challenging either the World Heavyweight Champion or the Universal Champion at Wrestlemania. Perfectly fine. It worked great in the past and needs no major changes at this time.

What I want to see added is a Women's Royal Rumble. The winner of that would then get a similar shot, at either the Raw Women's Championship or the Smackdown Women's Championship at Wrestlemania. They would have to allow the NXT girls entry if they want to do a full 30, and could even invite legends/alumni to participate. I'd love to see that finally happen. It should have happened last year and really should happen this coming Rumble.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

What I want to see added is a Women's Royal Rumble. The winner of that would then get a similar shot, at either the Raw Women's Championship or the Smackdown Women's Championship. They would have to allow the NXT girls entry if they want to do a full 30, and could even invite legends/alumni to participate. I'd love to see that finally happen. It should have happened last year and really should happen this coming Rumble.

Allegedly, there are serious talks of making it happen for next year's Royal Rumble. I remember reading a report a few weeks ago, though there weren't many details given in the report, that it's one of the plans being discussed.

There are currently 15 women on the main roster who're active and there are around 10 who currently appear on NXT. On top of that, you have some female wrestlers who're signed to NXT who currently work house shows only, some new talent like Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo have been signed, Hojo will be in the Mae Young Classic as are some other signees and there may be others signed before it's all said and done. So all in all, by the time January rolls around, WWE will be able to field a 30 woman Royal Rumble match if they utilize main and NXT rosters.

 

[MWRedskins]

No need for a new stipulation. like a poster above said, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and honestly, the Royal Rumble isnt broken.

My ONLY issue with the Royal Rumble is the easy predictions on who'll win it....but what i think WWE should do is not take out (or add in) one more stipulation. it's a stipulation that WWE had years ago (when there were two brands), it's the winner can challenge for any of the two major championships. In other words, i want the winner of the Rumble to challenge for any title they pick, that way in case one is stale on one show, they can move to the other to try to get over......Also add in a Women's Royal Rumble with the SAME stipulation, that way if (for example) Bayley wins, she can move to Smackdown and challenge the champion there.

the stipulation of challenging for the world or universial championship (or in a women's one, a women's championship) should never change. the wrestler's main goal is to be the best, so dont take that opportunity out of equation.

 

[The Perfect Max]

Yeah I'm going to have to agree with the majority on this one. There's no need to change anything about the match. The concept is great and when booked appropriately, I think it still is great. I really enjoyed this year's addition, though I have to admit, the Rumble match of the 2010's has been very hit and miss for some reason or another. I think the only thing that needs changing is how it's booked to be honest, but that's subject to change every year of course. And I'm not even talking about the winner. But with the roster that WWE has right now, with the potential of NXT and legend/returning surprise entrants, I think WWE can do a better job at times. Having said that, with a match this big I suppose the opinion is subjective. Some people didn't enjoy this year's Rumble and that's okay I guess.

I must say though, the argument that the Rumble is predictable, especially in recent years, is just not true half the time. Did people really expect a Randy Orton victory in 2017? How many people were convinced of a Daniel Bryan victory in 2014 and 2015? Just because it's not what somebody else wanted does not mean that it's not a good storyline choice. Sure you can be angry, but perhaps that's the point. And even then, if we didn't read these sites, I wonder how much we would be able to predict. Everyone was convinced of a Samoa Joe debut this year and were pissed when he didn't, but who's fault is that? Because nobody gave us any reason to think it would happen but these sites. Ultimately, I think from a purely kayfabe perspective, and if I was still a kid like I was when I began watching this, the Rumble still has the same kind of allure that it always did. I don't know, just thinking out loud... or on a keyboard.

Perhaps a women's Royal Rumble would be fun. If you had a 15-woman event to start the show and then the 30-man classic at the end, with the title matches in between, then that would likely be a very good pay-per-view. With the talent that WWE has in the women's department right now, I would say that it's a viable option for 2018. And it would definitely spice up the event and add some intruige.

 

[Wildcat66]

I actually want to see WWE attempt a 60 man Royal Rumble personally, it would be nice to see how many people they can get for that and it would really help cement it's position as the most unpredictable match of the year. Think about it, you have 60 people inside the ring; you have some surprise guests involved, maybe a few NXT guys and a couple of undercarders and cruiserweights, and then you have the guys who have a legitimate chance to win the whole thing.

It's a pipe-dream, true; but I wouldn't mind seeing that happen one day.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The Rumble HAS been Broke for years... the whole Mania stip became an albatross round WWE's neck years ago...

It hamstrings Mania booking and frankly is boring, invariably the "shot" has to end up being defended at Elimination Chamber or it ends up a multi man match.

Right now the best thing they could do with The Rumble is something like a choice... Mania Main Event or A Million Dollars for example... Some characters, would want the Mania shot... others might say "I want the Million".

It would free up the Rumble to be won by some others and used as a push tool rather than setting up one match each year.

 

[Wildcat66]

The Rumble HAS been Broke for years... the whole Mania stip became an albatross round WWE's neck years ago...

It hamstrings Mania booking and frankly is boring, invariably the "shot" has to end up being defended at Elimination Chamber or it ends up a multi man match.

Right now the best thing they could do with The Rumble is something like a choice... Mania Main Event or A Million Dollars for example... Some characters, would want the Mania shot... others might say "I want the Million".

It would free up the Rumble to be won by some others and used as a push tool rather than setting up one match each year.

I wouldn't say it's an albatross, but I will admit it does get a bit stale after awhile.

I think what they could do to freshen things up is to open up the Mania stip to other titles, like the Intercontinental or the United States title. If they did that, that would open up more possibilities for potential winners and give those who haven't become main eventers a chance to shine for their self. Like, say you have Chad Gable win the Rumble; Shane could give him a choice, you can either challenge for the tag team titles, the United States title or the WWE title. Some people will go for the tag team titles, some will take the secondary title and some will go for the main belt. It opens up the chance for even more options and makes the Royal Rumble even more unpredictable than it ever was before.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Nope. Don't change something just to change it.

The winner of the Rumble challenges for a World Title at WrestleMania.

That has always worked and always will.

 

[Azane]

The concept is perfect.

The booking for the past few years has been pretty lackluster, and the star powers been pretty empty in some rumbles.

Keep in mind, the Rumble isn't just there to breed a Title match, generally you get 3 or 4+ Wrestlemania Feuds fueled or started by Rumble elims or shenanigans.

The biggest change I would make to the system to improve it, is to not have any PPVs between Rumble and WM, so it means something, but that won't happen with WWE wanting to Oversaturate as hard as possible.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I wouldn't say it's an albatross, but I will admit it does get a bit stale after awhile.

I think what they could do to freshen things up is to open up the Mania stip to other titles, like the Intercontinental or the United States title. If they did that, that would open up more possibilities for potential winners and give those who haven't become main eventers a chance to shine for their self. Like, say you have Chad Gable win the Rumble; Shane could give him a choice, you can either challenge for the tag team titles, the United States title or the WWE title. Some people will go for the tag team titles, some will take the secondary title and some will go for the main belt. It opens up the chance for even more options and makes the Royal Rumble even more unpredictable than it ever was before.

That's dumb.

Everybody, and I mean, Everybody, would pick the main title (WWE or Universal Title).

Why would anyone turn down the chance to headline Wrestlemania, and maybe leave as the top guy at the biggest card of the year?

It lacks credibility.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I would actually allow pinfall and submission eliminations. You can see it in Japanese multi man battle royals and it works surprisingly well in my opinion. There are after all multiple referees around the ring. It would allow for so much more creativity. For example multiple people piling on Braun to try and get him down for a pin, or have him break out of it, showcasing his strength. There would also be actual logic for using your finisher in the match.

Or perhaps enforce this rule only for the final two. I dunno watching two guys throwing each other over and over attempting to eliminate one another isn't exactly enthralling, there's only so many ways you can toss a guy over the top rope. Of course they can still do that, but the point is that they would have other options.

Oh and before you all shit on me, did you really want another post saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it"? The OP wanted potential changes and I've given one.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

I would actually allow pinfall and submission eliminations. You can see it in Japanese multi man battle royals and it works surprisingly well in my opinion. There are after all multiple referees around the ring. It would allow for so much more creativity. For example multiple people piling on Braun to try and get him down for a pin, or have him break out of it, showcasing his strength. There would also be actual logic for using your finisher in the match.

Or perhaps enforce this rule only for the final two. I dunno watching two guys throwing each other over and over attempting to eliminate one another isn't exactly enthralling, there's only so many ways you can toss a guy over the top rope. Of course they can still do that, but the point is that they would have other options.

Oh and before you all shit on me, did you really want another post saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it"? The OP wanted potential changes and I've given one.

Thank you! Obviously, I feel it is "broke" or I wouldn't have asked the question. To be clear, some of the posters have expressed their opinion that it is not broken, and that is perfectly fine. But, that one guy with his "Don't change something just to change it." clearly missed the point...or didn't read my post. I am not changing anything "just to change it". I see a need for change, which is why I asked for ideas. If you feel it is fine the way it is and want to add to the conversation by explaining why, that is great. But it always amazes me how people with no constructive response--either in agreement or disagreement--feel the need to respond to something for which they have no use. If you think the Rumble is fine and have only a few words to explain why...why respond? Then again that same guy ended his response with "That has always worked and always will", proving his ignorance.

I like the idea of different forms of elimination. That could be a fun idea to play around with and invite a healthy debate on why pinfalls, submission, etc. would work--and at what point in the match or under which circumstances this would be allowed. Maybe with a maximum number of contestants in the ring? Let's say they make a rule where, like you said instead of waiting for one of two guys to throw the other over the top rope, pinfalls are allowed with only 2 guys in the ring. Then you could have an exciting moment where, maybe say Matt Hardy has just taken the other wrestler's finisher as the buzzer sounds. As the ref gets down to count the pin, the next entrant (Jeff Hardy) comes flying down to the ring...with maybe a Billy Gunn-type slide across the apron...meaning the ref has to stop the count because a 3rd man is now in the match and the pinfall option is no longer allowed. Things like that...new ideas.

 

[OYDK]

It's difficult to come up with changes to the Rumble match because the prize for winning is, in kayfabe, literally the biggest reward you can get. A World title match in the main event at Wrestlemania. The thing that everybody works their entire careers for. I'm also in the camp of "if it ain't broke", but I'm also kind of biased because the Rumble match is admittedly my favorite match of the year every year. But I'll throw something out there just for the sake of this thread.

The Rumble winner gets a World title match whenever he wants it from then until Mania. Unlike the MITB concept though, the winner has to either make his intentions clear at the beginning of the show, a week in advance, a month in adavance, etc., or the champ has to accept his challenge. He can't just come out after the champ's already been in a grueling match and demand a title shot. I think it would be pretty cool to see somebody win the Rumble match and immediately grab the microphone and challenge the champion right there. Or insert himself into a Mania title match that has already been made.

I like the concept they have now a hell of a lot better of course, but the OP asked for a change and that's the best I can come up with.

 

[Navi]

I'm in the "I like it camp" but have one foot in the "don't like it camp". Kind of tired of the way it sets up Mania, and gives too many people the chance to bitch and complain if they don't like the winner.

As for the idea of submissions, it's an out there one as no referees are actually in the ring, so you'd have to have some guy ready to jump in and do the 1-2-3 count. If he's slow then that wouldn't work.

I do like OKYK's idea of the winner getting a title shot before Mania better. If that happened though you'd have to move the Rumble up to October or November. If they still held it in January, then the winner would only have a 2 month window to claim his shot at the title. Gotta give him more time. So maybe shuffling around the PPV calendar wouldn't be a bad thing either.

The problem with the last few Rumble's is we knew the outcome before it happened. When Batista won a couple of years ago, fans were irate because here's a guy who came back after 4 years and in one match wins the main event at Mania. Plus you had the Daniel Bryan factor in that Rumble as well.

The following year, it was Roman Reigns turn to be boo'd because by then the fans had turned on him. Again the Bryan factor came into play. The next Rumble was again all about Reigns, and his heroic comeback got them going again. HHH winning put an end to all that. Last year Orton winning it was the best of a bad option.

So the last four Rumble's have been a bit of a letdown. It's always been an established star who has won. It's time to give the undercard a push or a shove. Already there is talk of Lesnar dropping the belt to Reigns at Summerslam then going on to win the Rumble and face him at Mania. So not only does the Rumble kind of suck, it makes the main event at Mania kind of suck as well.

 

[FromGlasgow]

The Royal Rumble is and always has been my second favourite wrestling event of the year second only to Wrestlemania, I would hate to see it changed to something else as I don't think its ever gotten stale, Only thing I would change about it is the guaranteed Wrestlemania title match as I do think it limits the potential winner and does make it rather predictable, Would rather see an anyone can win it type situation, I don't think the title match is needed as winning it should be prestigious enough, The first couple had Jim Duggan and Big John Studd winning them I could never see that happening especially with other big names like Hogan, Andre, Savage and Dibiase more favoured to win so seemed way more exciting back then.

I do think a female one like some has mentioned would be a good idea though as theres now a large enough female roster to make 30 if they do add in a few surprise entrants like former divas and NXT wrestlers.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

Nah, I like the concept. World Title Shot at Mania? Absolutely. I also think it helps WWE see who is most over (see Bret Vs Lex, Cena Vs Batista, Taker Vs Shawn for examples). Love the RR concept.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Nope. The Rumble is a classic and classics never die. The concept is great, the match is always entertaining. It needs nothing.

It only needs to be more unpredictable. They did well this year. Nobody would have ever guessed Orton was going to win, if they hadn't ready the dirt sheets.

And it needs more legitimacy. For example, you can't have another Del Rio to win and open Wrestlemania. The winner of the Rumble should have the top match at Wrestlemania and main event the event.

Those are the only things the Rumble needs.

 

[tomthebodz]

I really don't think that it needs changing. The only thing that might mix things up a bite is that once there's only 2 people left I'd like to see it go down to a pinfall/submission to get the win.

 

[SD619]

I think more than the stipulation, the whole "Winner gets to main event WM" part is the issue. There have been cases where the winner is in the first half of the show. This year, Orton won, but Roman/Taker and Goldberg/Lesnar had matches after him. Either avoid having such guys in the Rumble (which will impact the star-value of the Rumble) or atleast have the winner in one of the more prominent WM matches.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

WWE needs to just stack the match with as much top talent as possible and as many realistic permutations with the outcome. They did a very good job this year. Taker, Braun, Leanar, Goldberg, and then the surprise of Reigns made this year's Rumble hard to predict. We mostly forgot about Randy and he ended up winning.

Similar to what they did with Reigns this year, ideally I would like to see them get more of the big names from the earlier bouts in the match. It would have been a huge thrill to have AJ come out this year or DB to come out a few years ago. Neither needed to win, just sell themselves as a tough guys who want the Mania main event that badly. Maybe Vince only sees Roman as that guy.

Beyond that it is hard to come up with a stipulation that would work without convoluting a simple concept with years of tradition. I agree with the OP that it feels like something could be done. An Extreme Royal Rumble might be fun. Raising the ropes? Adding a five second count out after the two feet hit the floor would be a change that could lead to some entertaining spots. Maybe some kind of benefit to any competitor that lasts a certain number of spots. Like if number 1 lasts until number 8 they get a Singapore cane. In the other end of the spectrum, removing the Mania main event stip makes it easier to believe someone like Mojo Rawley could win.

I don't know, these all kind of suck. Any idea just seems to convolute something that is simple and works for the most part if you are emotionally invested in enough competitors and the idea that the Mania main event is as important as WWE tries to make it.

My advice to all tenured fans is to govern your expectations. It is still just a battle royal so there can only be so much action. Realize that there is only so much WWE can do with it while still making the money that they want to make. Remember that it is long and can drag out for much of the match. There is no guarantee that you will get a surprise that you want. And if Kofi does not win, we riot.

 

[LODemolition]

I wouldn't necessarily be for this, but this is just an idea. Maybe the winner of the Rumble could be awarded a briefcase to cash in his title shot anywhere/anytime just like Money in the Bank.

It sounds like the biggest complaint isn't about the RR match itself, but that the winner automatically goes to WrestleMania. So this would be an obvious solution for the people who don't like it.

I'm also in favor of the women getting their own Rumble match. It would only be 15-20 women and I would bring them out every 30 seconds as opposed to every 60 to keep it moving along in half the time. My new format for the main card would be:

Women's Royal Rumble

5 matches (1. IC/US Title, 2. Raw/SD Tag Titles 3. Raw/SD Women's Title 4. World Title 5. Universal Title)

Men's Royal Rumble